Dr. Viviane Cordovez
Senior Scientist, Nioo-KNAW
Dr. Viviane Cordovez is senior scientist in the Department of Microbial Ecology at NIOO-KNAW. Her research focuses on the impact of plant-associated microorganisms on plant growth and health by coupling culturomic, metabolomic and genomic approaches. Viviana is specifically interested in the diversity and functions of yeasts associated with plant leaves and their potential to improve plant resilience to abiotic and biotic stresses (e.g. UV radiation, drought, fungal diseases).
“In this search for ‘missing plant microbes’, we work closely together with research institutes and universities in the centres of origin of plant species (Africa, Asia, South America)”.
Team of NIOO-KNAW
Dr. Jos Raaijmakers
Professor & Head of the Microbial Ecology Department at NIOO-KNAW
Jos Raaijmakers is the head of the Microbial Ecology Department at NIOO-KNAW and Professor at the Institute of Biology at Leiden University.
The overall goal of his research team is to unravel the impact of plant domestication on the diversity and beneficial functions of microorganisms associated with plants.
Dr. Mark Zwart
Senior Scientist
Mark is a senior scientist in the Department of Microbial Ecology at NIOO-KNAW.
He works on the ecology and evolution of plant-associated viruses. His work focuses on understanding how virus genome structure is linked to ecology and evolution, describing virus biodiversity in plant communities from natural ecosystems, and understanding how virus communities affect the composition and functioning of microbiomes and ecosystems. He employs a combination of experimental work, genomics, and modeling in my research.
Prof. dr. Paolina Garbeva
Senior Scientist
Paolina Garbeva is a senior scientist in the Department of Microbial Ecology at NIOO-KNAW and visiting Professor at the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark.
The focus of her research is to understand the fundamental mechanisms of microbial chemical interactions and communication using omics-based tools, advanced analytical chemistry and novel imaging techniques.
Luisa M. Arias Giraldo
PhD Student
Luisa is a PhD student and bioinformatician in the Department of Microbial Ecology at NIOO-KNAW.
Her project focuses on the parasitic plant Striga and how to aid the sub-Saharan crops that are affected by it, particularly by using soil amendments that suppress the germination of this detrimental plant via volatiles of bacterial origin. She also highly interested in -omics data analysis and the development of bioinformatics tools and pipelines.
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